


When the devils arm seems strong (Brother keep on keeping on)

by Noroots



Series: Dick and Dami Week '19 [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: Dick and Dami Week 2019, Gen, Scarecrow's Fear Toxin (DCU)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 00:57:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18419525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noroots/pseuds/Noroots
Summary: Three months. He’d had his robin for three months and he’d already lost him. Scarecrow was currently on his way back to Arkham, but not before testing his newest vein of fear gas on a few unsuspecting neighborhoods. Not for the first time in the last few months Dick wonders how Bruce had handled it all.





	When the devils arm seems strong (Brother keep on keeping on)

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wrote most of this at like midnight. And I kind of projected myself onto Dick, in that when I’m dealing with kids crying, I just start talking nonstop while I try to calm them. I don’t know if it makes them feel better but it helps me not to panic. Anyway, enjoy this word vomit. Also, I am horrible at titles so have another stolen song lyric. 
> 
> Title from “Keep on Keeping” by Colony House.

Three months. He’d had his robin for three months and he’d already lost him. Scarecrow was currently on his way back to Arkham, but not before testing his newest vein of fear gas on a few unsuspecting neighborhoods. 

Not for the first time in the last few months Dick wonders how Bruce had handled it all. Because at the moment everything felt like too much, just problem after problem piling up. Dick ticked off his to-do list in his head. Find his Robin who seemed to have run off on his own, make sure that Gordon has enough antidote to deal with the affected citizens, prepare for this weekend's JLA meeting. 

Launching himself off the roof Dick decides to call in the big guns. 

“Hey O, it's your favorite Bat. Can you do me a favor?” 

“Cass is my favorite Bat, but go on.” Her snarky answer comes through the comms. 

“Ouch.” Dick drops down on the street next to the Batmobile. “Well, then as a favor to the Bat who shares a bed with you, do you mind sending BG out to help with damage control from Scarecrows latest. I have some Robin hunting I need to do. I get distracted by one Rogue and he thinks that’s a free pass to go off by himself. Kids gonna turn my beautiful hair gray.” 

“This is why you should have behaved better as a kid. Karmas paying you back for all the grief you gave B when you wore the pixie boots. I can’t wait until this kid hits puberty.” 

“Don’t even put that thought out into the world, O.” Dick groans as he heads towards the dock where he knows Damian’s been itching to go and bust Penguins latest operation. 

“Hey O. Robin turned his comms off or maybe he’s just straight up ignoring me. Can you send me the coordinates from his mask?” 

“Done.” A message pops up on the car computer. “Your headed in the wrong direction by the way.” 

“No, I’m not. Penguins guys are meeting at the docks tonight. Damian made sure I knew how much of an idiot I was if I ignored it. If he went off by himself, he headed there.” 

“Okay Boy Wonder, but then he’s there without his mask because if you’d actually look at what I sent you you’d see that Robins coordinates put him in Grant Park.” 

Dick presses hard on the brakes and spins the car around. “Why would he be there?” 

“He’s your sidekick. I don’t know why he does anything. He’s about as open a book as his dad was. Last time I came over the kid told me he was practicing how to move his organs.” 

“He was probably just messing with you.” 

“He’s weird.” 

Dick chews on the inside of his lip, “Yeah... well if you get any intel on something happening in Grant Park send it my way, otherwise, I’ll let you get back to Oracleing and I’ll get back to Batmaning.” 

 

In the short drive it took to arrive at Grant Park Dick had a whole speech rehearsed about how Robin has to listen to Batman and always keep his comms on and if Dick asked where he was, he needed to answer. 

Pulling over close to where Babs had said Damian was, Dick steeled himself for the fight that was going to go down when he grounded Robin for the rest of the night. 

Looking around, Dick saw that the park was empty. Which made since because it was two in the morning. Everyone who wasn’t crazy or a criminal was at home in bed. But that still left Dick one Robin short. Where was the little angry bird hiding and why had he come here of all places? 

“Robin?” Dick started towards the picnic area that was to his left. Damian had mentioned its great vantage points on their last visit so maybe he had headed there for some reason. “I don’t really want to have to bench you next we-” Dick cut himself off when his foot came down on something other than grass. 

Looking down he saw a familiar forest green and winced. Alfred wasn’t going to appreciate another damaged mask. 

“Robin,” Dick picks up the mask as he calls out, “you better have a good explanation.” 

Dick makes it a few more step before he hears it. There is a muffled whimper and a plea to stop. It takes less than a second for Dick heart to shatter as he puts the pieces together. During the fight with Scarecrow Damian must have somehow gotten injected with the toxin. 

Dick quickens his pace towards the noise and ducks to peer under the concrete picnic table near the edge of the clearing. 

“Hey Kiddo,” Dicks heart breaks again the moment Damian turns his fear blown eyes his way. He’s seen Damian scared before, no matter how hard he tries to hide it. But there’s a difference between that and the ten-year-old in front of him. All Dick saw was raw unfiltered terror. 

“Don’t tell Mother.” 

“I won’t” Dick knows from experience that Damian is in his own world right now and won’t hear or remember any of what Dick says or does but that doesn’t stop him. If anything, it’s more for himself than Damian, something to stop the guilt from eating at him as he tries to corral Damian to him and get him to the Batmobile. 

“Hey Buddy.” Dick sheds all aspects of Batman besides the cowl. He’s in big brother mode, soft voice and calming movements, “I see you took your mask off. Looks like you scratched yourself a bit in the process. We’ll just have to add that to the list of things for Al to take care of, huh? I’m gonna join you really quick and then we’ll get you to the car, what do you say? We’ll head back to the bunker and give you something to make you feel better and then when you wake up we'll have a pajama day and I’ll make you watch the Goonies with me.” Dick keeps up a constant stream of words, making sure to explain everything before he makes his move and hoists Damian up into his arms. Surprisingly there is little to no fight as they head back to the car. Damian just shrinks further into himself, breaths coming fast and his small body trembling. 

“I’ll do better.” 

“Oh, Lil’ D you are the best there is. No need to do any better.” Dick runs his hand through his soft kid hair, “Well, you could work on your attitude towards Lucky Charms but we can discuss that later. Right now, we’ll focus on getting you buckled in-” 

“No no no” Damian starts to struggle against an invisible enemy. 

Dicks pretty sure the protest is against the hallucination but doesn’t want to chance it and cause more distress. “Okay I think I can manage the few miles it takes to get back to the bunker with you doing the koala thing. No problemo.” Dick press his comms on, “Hey A. Me and Damian have had an interesting evening. I was wondering if you could have some of that new antidote ready for us when we get back in a few minutes. Yep. That would be perfect. Thanks.” Dick jostles Damian on his lap a bit, like one would with a fussy baby. “You hear that Dames? A’s got you covered. You’ll feel better in just a little bit.” 

“Please.” Damian whimpers against the batman symbol on his chest. 

“I know. It sucks doesn’t it?” Dick pulls into the tunnel that will lead them to the bunker. “Hey we’re almost there, Bud. You know what? I wish I could get you cuddle like this when you weren’t all hoped up on Scarecrows toxin. Not that I’m happy you have to go through this.” 

Dick starts rubbing circles on Damian’s back as he rushes on, “I’m just saying you make a good teddy bear. Honestly you’re surprising me a bit here. When I get hit with this stuff, I’m a bitc-” Dick censors himself, “Brat. I’m a big ol' brat about it. Gave B a nice shiner back in the day when I was fourteen or something. You’re more like Jay was though. B used to like to get into the whole psychology of it. He loved going on and on about fight or flight. But that’s B for you, had to know the reason behind everything, even reactions to crazy people’s toxins. You know, you're really good at the flight thing. Sorry it took me a while to find you Buddy. But you do like to remind me about the whole assassin ninja thing so it makes sense. Your very small and that makes it easy to hide. I’d probably have stuck out like a sore thumb.” 

“Hey, look Bud, we made it!” Dick’s out of the car in seconds rushing to were Alfred was prepped and ready for Damian, “Alfie’s here now Kiddo. So I’m gonna put you- nope- okay I’ll just sit on the cot and Al can give you this shot while you sit on my lap. Shhh. I know. It’s gonna be okay now kiddo I got you.” Dick glances up briefly to meet Alfred’s pained gaze. With a soft smile he mouths the words ‘Thank you’ before turning back to the little boy in his lap continuing his constant conversation without missing a beat, “And I’ll let you in on a little secret I know where Alfred keeps the frozen cookie dough. So, when you feel better, we can eat ourselves sick.”


End file.
